Pitt women’s soccer falls to Clemson 1-0 in its final road test of conference play

No. 18 Pitt (12-4-1, 5-2-1 ACC) faced No. 8 Clemson (13-1-3, 7-1-1 ACC) for its final road test of the regular season. The last time the two teams played, the Panthers’ draw against Clemson in the final game of the 2022 season clinched them a spot in the playoffs.

After an uncharacteristic first half, the Panthers fell to the Tigers 0-1. The Tigers now hold an 8-0-1 edge against the Panthers. 

The first half started with Pitt fifth-year forward Amanda West, who got a shot in the first two minutes of the match. West’s shot was headed for the bottom right corner of the net, but the Tigers’ senior goalkeeper Halle Mackiewicz made the save. 

In the 13th minute, Tigers graduate student forward Sami Merideth fired the ball toward the top of the net, but Pitt sophomore goalkeeper Ellie Breech made it there for a save of her own. 

Clemson came into Sunday’s match winning their last three games in ACC play while Pitt came off a loss Thursday evening. The teams’ energies in the first half matched that of their prior games. The Tigers quickly built up momentum, while the Panthers looked slow. 

Pitt’s defense was tested in the first half, causing Breech to step up and keep the Tigers chances at bay. Breech made two saves in the first 15 minutes. The Tigers won the possession percentage for the first half.

In the 24th minute, the Tigers found a weak spot in Pitt’s defense and forced another save out of Breech. Shortly after, Pitt made some early and unfamiliar substitutions. Pitt junior midfielder Keera Melenhorst came in for Pitt first-year midfielder Deborah Abiodun in the 25th minute, and Pitt sophomore midfielder Dean Fleming came in for Pitt junior forward Samiah Phiri in the 30th minute. 

By the end of the half, Clemson had seven shots to Pitt’s two — the lowest number of shots Pitt took in the first 45 minutes of a game all season. Fortunately, Breech continued to step up and clutched five saves out of Clemson’s six shots.

Overall, the Panthers’ offense was uncharacteristically quiet in the first half. The Panthers got their last shot of the half in the ninth minute of the match. Despite Pitt’s poor giveaways and low possession of the ball, they went into the locker room tied at zero.  

Pitt found its momentum in the second half. In the first three minutes, Pitt doubled its shots from the first half. One shot by Phiri forced a save out of Mackiewicz. 

Despite the increased opportunities for the Panthers in the second half, the Tigers found the back of the net in the 53rd minute. Tigers senior defender Makenna Morris launched a clear open shot in the bottom right corner of the goal. Clemson took the lead, 1-0.

Pitt, trailing behind, created more opportunities through their corner kicks. They had two corner kicks back-to-back in the 55th and 57th minutes, but nothing came of either. 

Pitt played a more direct second half, but Clemson matched their energy. In the 66th minute, Tigers graduate student forward Caroline Conti found herself completely open with no Panther to challenge her. She took the shot, and Breeche once again made the save.  

West came back into the game in the 64th minute. She created an opportunity for a Pitt corner kick by junior forward Sarah Shapansky. Clemson stopped the ball right in front of the net and cleared it. Pitt had eight corner kicks in the second half to Clemson’s one. 

Pitt also won the possession percentage in the second half. Pitt had many chances to score in the second but failed to turn them into goals.  

In the 77th minute, Pitt had another chance to get a point on the board. Melenhost launched the ball from outside of the box toward the bottom left corner of the net. Mackiewicz made another save, keeping the score 1-0. 

The Panthers gave everything they had in the last five minutes to tie the game. In a final attempt to tie it up, West came up the left wing and served it to Abiodun. Abiodun unleashed a shot in the 85th minute just above the top of the post. 

The horn sounded for the end of the match and Pitt was never able to score a goal. Despite their loss, Pitt still stands at No. 5 in the ACC and has a spot in the playoffs with one more regular season game to go. 

The Panthers return home next Thursday for their final ACC match at Ambrose Urbanic Field at 7 p.m.